


suspicion

by chainlink



Category: Watchmen
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Infidelity, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Probably ooc, eddie isn't actually in it, still a central character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 06:40:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14231514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chainlink/pseuds/chainlink
Summary: Dan realizes Rorschach is cheating on him.





	suspicion

Things have been different since the Comedian got back from Vietnam.

Since Rorschach started patrolling with him.

It's easy to ignore at first. When he comes to Dan reeking of cigar smoke and whiskey and that cologne the Comedian wears, the one Dan's always hated, Dan brushes it aside, puts it down to proximity. Then come the livid bruises all over Rorschach's hips and thighs. Dan tells himself they're from fighting. The stubble burn and bite marks are harder to ignore. He isn't stupid enough to think Rorschach is leaving them there himself (even though he probably is flexible enough).

But he couldn't be... no, it's not possible. It's Rorschach. _Rorschach._ He would never.

Maybe Dan's just imagining things.

***

It's been a long night, and they're making love at dawn. Dan still doesn't know his partner's real name, has never slept by his side, but it doesn't matter. He is so grateful for moments like these, grateful not just to be with his partner, buried in that sweet warmth, but to be able to give him the love and tenderness he's never been shown before.

The only time Dan has ever seen Rorschach unmasked is during sex. Dan still doesn't know if it's a question of intimacy or trying not to despoil the mask. Pain has never made Rorschach cry, but pleasure brings him to tears every time. They flow down his bare, freckled cheeks and Dan brushes them away tenderly, feeling the wetness and the sandpaper grit of stubble.

Rorschach reaches up, trails his fingertips across the side of Dan's face, runs his thumb over one spot. At first Dan thinks the other man is mirroring his own movements, but there's something off about the location: exactly where the Comedian's scar is. Rorschach's eyes are closed, and he's silently mouthing a name that's not Dan or Daniel or Nite Owl.

Dan knows then.

***

Dan sits by himself in the Nest while his partner is out with the Comedian ( _Eddie,_ if that's even his real name), wringing his hands, wondering why.

Is it the culmination of a lifelong admiration, some kind of hero worship manifesting itself as desire? Has his obvious, desperate need for a father figure turned into something else? Does the danger of being caught provide him with some kind of thrill?

Dan wonders if he's being too loving, too tender, if perhaps that isn't what Rorschach wants. Is the Comedian giving Rorschach something Dan isn't? The lingering evidence of their encounters hints at something rougher than what Dan and Rorschach do together.

When Dan tries to give Rorschach what he thinks he wants, he nearly gets his fingers broken and spends the next two hours apologizing, all the while hating himself for being such a coward and wondering why _he's_ the one saying sorry.

***

As the duo walks down Seventh Avenue in costume listening to the rapid fire barrage of propositions directed at the both of them, Dan considers accepting, wonders how his partner would react. The other man keeps his head down and his hands in his pockets, ranting about whores and their diseases, and Dan has a sinking feeling.

When Dan gets tested, he's clean -- for now. He doesn't trust Rorschach or the Comedian.

The next time they have sex, Dan insists on using a condom. Rorschach says nothing. As much as the latex dulls the sensation, Dan can't help feeling the barrier between the two of them is more spiritual than physical.

***

Waking up alone used to be a disappointment. Now it's a relief. The sun is shining, and Dan can go about his day as a normal, boring civilian, walling himself off from his other life and all its problems. With a cup of coffee in one hand, basking in the sunshine, he heads for the newsstand to pick up today's Gazette.

On the front page is a photograph of Rorschach and the Comedian with an article about their latest bust. The Comedian's hand is on Rorschach's shoulder, and Rorschach is looking up at him. It's too close to the very first photograph the papers took of Dan and Rorschach together, the one Dan has framed on his desk.

Dan crushes his coffee cup, yelps when he splashes himself with the hot liquid. He throws the cup and the paper in the gutter and storms home without the breakfast he was planning on because he's mysteriously lost his appetite.

Dan buys another copy of the Gazette later that day, cuts out the photograph and hands it to Rorschach with a pointed stare that is all silent accusation. The other man takes it, holds it in his gloved hand for a moment. His blots speed up. He turns on his heels and runs down the tunnel, leaving Dan equal parts validated and terrified.

***

Rorschach is missing for days. Then, without warning, Dan finds him in the kitchen without his mask or coat, holding an ice pack over a black eye. He has a split lip. He tells Dan he and the Comedian are over.

Dan knows who did this to him and why. His first impulse is to find the Comedian, hunt him down and make him pay. Rorschach must be able to read his mind. He tells Dan to let it go, that over means over.

It doesn't feel like a satisfying conclusion. Dan ruminates on things as he holds his partner close for what feels like the first time in months.

Never mind. Bruises heal. So will this.


End file.
